Chicago Pumpkin Run

If you ever question 2sb’s finger on the pulse of scootering, you might ask how Chicago’s largest club ever was organized without me hearing about it, but apparently it was, and they’re having a ride:

The 36 members of the Magnificent Seven SC would like you to invite you on our first public ride: The Less-Than-Honorable Jimmy Chamerblain Pumpkin Run, Oct 7th, 2007 (Rain date October 14th). An approximately 150 mile round trip, with pumpkin picking in the middle. The rider that returns to the rally-point with the largest intact pumpkin wins! Rules below:

1. We will be leaving from The Depot Diner at 11 A.M. The address is 5840 W. Roosevelt Road in Chicago (a couple blocks east of Austin, near Oak Park/Berwyn). If anyone wants to eat breakfast, please do so in a timely manner so the ride can leave at its scheduled time. (No ordering food after 10:30am.) We will be riding a long scenic route out to St Charles and regroup at Ray’s Evergreen Chili Pub 1401 W Main St (Route 64/North Ave.) at 1pm to warm up and have some chili and refreshments.
2. The entry fee will be $10 per scooter/motorcycle. Winner takes ALL because as you know, second place is the first loser. Winner will be decided by heaviest intact pumpkin. Or, in the event nobody makes it back intact, the one that traveled the farthest from the pumpkin patch.
3. Pumpkin must be either on floor boards, seat or anywhere else not prohibited. NO racks, sidecars or prefabricated bungee nets, back packs allowed. Glue, any kind of tape, single type bungee cords, cable ties are allowed to secure your pumpkin. Any homemade contraptions are also allowed as long as they are made by using approved materials.
4. You will have a half hour to secure your pumpkin to your scooter. We’re not waiting for anyone to fabricate a duct tape cocoon.
5. NO sabotage.
6. Am I forgetting anything? We drank a lot of pumpkin wine the night we discussed this. Damn! Delilah’s. WTF do you have to have that sinful wine?
7. We will be ending at a location TBD which serves pizza and assorted tasty beverages, back in the city.

Those last few “rules” aren’t actually rules, and I’m not sure what the sentence, “Pumpkin must be either on floor boards, seat or anywhere else not prohibited,” means, but whatever. Sounds fun! Jimmy Chamberlain, lest you wonder, was/is Smashing Pumpkins’ drummer, famous for ODing with their touring keyboardist. The keyboardist died, but Jimmy lived, was kicked out of the Pumpkins, and then later welcomed back when Billy Corgan realized that his crappy band needed the credibility of a drummer with a drug problem.

While I’m thinking of it, don’t forget that October 13th, 2007 is the Hunnert Car Pileup, which is always a good time. The Galewood Cookshack will be there, and there should be a good scooter turnout, if hundreds of sweet rat ‘rods aren’t enough to attract you.